Recently, the government-funded scientific agencies the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that 2014 is the hottest recorded year, the Washington Post reported.
However, climate scientists slammed the two agencies and said the claim was greatly exaggerated.
According to NASA and NOAA, 2014 average temperature was hotter than that of the 20th century by 0.69 degrees Celsius. The previous year also managed to beat 2005 and 2010, which were recorded as the hottest years, by 0.04 degrees.
Due to 2014's overall temperature, NASA scientists said it indicates how human activities continue to affect global warming.
However, some non-government affiliated scientists pointed out that the 0.04 degrees Celsius difference between 2014 and 2010 as well as 2005 falls within the margin of measurement error.
In other words, it can be considered that the temperatures of these three years are the same.
Judith Curry, an earth and atmospheric sciences professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology said the similar temperatures of the three years does not automatically imply that global warming is worsening.
"With 2014 essentially tied with 2005 and 2010 for hottest year, thus implies that there has been essentially no trend in warming over the past decade," she told the Washington Post.
"This 'almost' record year does not help the growing discrepancy between the climate model projections and the surface temperature observations," Curry added.
In addition, based on data collected by satellites operated by scientists from the University of Alabama in Hunstville (UAH), 2014 is not the hottest year, according to the Daily Caller.
Dr. John Christy of the university said that the margin of error negates the measured difference between 2014 and the other warm years.
"2014 was warm, but not special," he said in a statement. "The 0.01 degree Celsius difference between 2014 and 2005, or the 0.02 difference with 2013 are not statistically different from zero."
"That might not be a very satisfying conclusion, but it is at least accurate," he added.
